What About Israel?

When preparing for a trip of a life time I knew it would challenge my views, I knew that I would be different, I even knew that I would be better equipped for ministry; what I wasn’t prepared for was the depth of spirituality I was going to experience, and the realness of my faith that would transpire through my travels of the land where my savior walked.

Israel is a land that has been continually in a transition of power since long before Christ walked across it’s landscapes. Yet it still holds strongly onto the sense of promise given from Yahweh to Abraham, and then again unto Moses. From the vast differences in religion and political ideology found in the land, there is a continual sense of holiness that seeps from the soil and waters of the land. 

What I had expected was nothing close to the reality of what Israel was. The biggest disappointment of the trip had to be the Jordan River, or as I like to say, the Jordan creek. The humbleness of the Jordan is a precursor to  everything else in Israel. Not that its not an amazing place, but rather everything is smaller, and closer together than I imagined. God’s Promise Land for the Israelites wasn’t the nicest or most beautiful land, rather it is a land where they would have to struggle to survive. Where they would have to rely on God for their safety, it would be where they would have to live their lives in obedience to God in order to even have a grasp on the land.

The people in the Holy land have vast differences in theology, which dictate every aspect of life for those who live in Israel. It’s amazing to see people who are so confident in their faith that it dictates there political stances to a degree unheard of in the States. There is absolutely no separation of Church and State. Religion dictates all of their decisions, Jew, Muslim, and Christian alike. 

Jerusalem is the home to three of the worlds biggest religions, all three of which we are told are based on the ideals of love, yet there is no place on earth that I have experienced such signs of hate. There is not trust, love, or grace shown outside of those within their own religion. It reminds me of Christian churches that all preach the same thing, yet compete to see who has the most people, and try stealing members from others. It often seems like there is no faith, no love, no God. How is it possible for a place such as Jerusalem to exist? There is not a place on earth that has seen as much bloodshed as Israel, and it was all done in the name of religion. When religion is controlled by humans it causes a rift between one group and the next, it causes hatred, and ultimately it causes death.

Since I have been back in the States, I have had a very difficult time explaining what I had experienced in the land. Even now as I dictate my thoughts I can’t express the feelings I have. I love the land, I love the people, both Jews and Muslim. But the hate found in the land baffles me. How is it that this country even exists? And what is our role as a Christian? I have no idea.